* Enigmatic Mermaid *

translations and dishes have this common fate; there was never any one, of either of them, that pleased all palates

Aug 10, 2007

Ten things I have interpreted about this year.

1. Aluminum (don't ask)2. Biodiversity3. The wonderful world of SOA4. New and exciting developments in roller bearing design5. Hub ports6. Retailing7. HMOs and managed care8. Programming9. Branding (at least 3 times, what a popular subject)10. IEC 61508 (more than I ever wanted to know about functional safety, a whole week in the booth)

Aug 9, 2007

"Podcasts designed to help those who are learning Portuguese, especially if you have a previous background in Spanish. First, you find some pronunciation podcasts that are built around dialogs illustrating specific sound differences. You can also download pdf transcripts and participate in a discussion blog for clarification of questions.

Next, you find grammar podcasts that focus on grammatical differences between Spanish and Portuguese. All of the lessons are also built around some cultural aspect that makes Brazil so awesome."

I am listening to one of them right now and they are fun. It feels like a group of friends tomando umas cervejinhas no bar, very informal and conversational. By the way, the name is also is a reference to the expression, "Se você falou, tá falado", which is used to express agreement with a hint of disbelief, in the booth I usually translate it as "i'll take your word for it". Just one criticism, in lesson 13 they say "sou de menor", which is technically wrong, the correct form is "sou menor".